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The Little Thief

Original title: La petite voleuse
  • 19881988
  • RR
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
The Little Thief (1988)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer1:44
1 Video
10 Photos
ComedyDrama
In a small town in post-World-War-II France, an unhappy sixteen-year-old (Janine Castang) tries to escape her dreary situation by any means at her disposal. Three successive friends (Michel ... Read allIn a small town in post-World-War-II France, an unhappy sixteen-year-old (Janine Castang) tries to escape her dreary situation by any means at her disposal. Three successive friends (Michel Davenne, a married lover; Raoul, a fellow thief; Mauricette Dargelos, a photographer and f... Read allIn a small town in post-World-War-II France, an unhappy sixteen-year-old (Janine Castang) tries to escape her dreary situation by any means at her disposal. Three successive friends (Michel Davenne, a married lover; Raoul, a fellow thief; Mauricette Dargelos, a photographer and fellow prisoner) help her learn from her mistakes.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
    • Claude Miller
  • Writers
    • François Truffaut(story)
    • Claude de Givray(story)
    • Claude Miller
  • Stars
    • Charlotte Gainsbourg
    • Didier Bezace
    • Simon de La Brosse
    • Claude Miller
  • Writers
    • François Truffaut(story)
    • Claude de Givray(story)
    • Claude Miller
  • Stars
    • Charlotte Gainsbourg
    • Didier Bezace
    • Simon de La Brosse
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 9User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:44
    Watch Trailer

    Photos10

    The Little Thief (1988)
    The Little Thief (1988)
    The Little Thief (1988)
    The Little Thief (1988)
    Charlotte Gainsbourg and Simon de La Brosse in The Little Thief (1988)
    Charlotte Gainsbourg in The Little Thief (1988)
    Charlotte Gainsbourg in The Little Thief (1988)
    The Little Thief (1988)
    The Little Thief (1988)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charlotte Gainsbourg
    Charlotte Gainsbourg
    • Janine Castang
    Didier Bezace
    • Michel Davenne
    Simon de La Brosse
    Simon de La Brosse
    • Raoul
    Clotilde de Bayser
    • Séverine Longuet
    Raoul Billerey
    • Rouleau
    Chantal Banlier
    • Léa
    Nathalie Cardone
    • Mauricette
    Renée Faure
    Renée Faure
    • La Mère Busato
    Catherine Arditi
    • La directrice école
    Gilbert Bahon
    • Le brigadier
    Clothilde Baudon
    • Bonnin
    Joëlle Bruyas
    • Soeur Marie-Odile
    Denise Chiabaut
    • Le doctresse
    Philippe Deplanche
    • Jacques Longuet
    Erick Deshors
    • Raymond
    Florent Gibassier
    • Le menuisier
    Marion Grimault
    • Kebadian
    Claude Guymont
    • Le jeune curé
      • Claude Miller
    • Writers
      • François Truffaut(story)
      • Claude de Givray(story)
      • Claude Miller
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      François Truffaut's script positioned the lead character Janine Castang as a female counterpart of Antoine Doinel in The 400 Blows (1959). In fact, Truffaut's original vision for that film was to tell the parallel stories of Antoine and Janine.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Package/Wired/Cookie/Little Monsters/The Little Thief (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Dans la Troupe
      Written by Raphaël Passaquet (as R. Passaquet)

    User reviews9

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    based on a Truffaut's script, a success in Miller's work
    Originally, "the little thief" is a movie that François Truffaut was to shot. Indeed, he was dreaming of a feminized version of his movie "les 400 coups" (1959). Unfortunately, he died before he could make his film. So, it was Claude Miller who took over and put in pictures a story with recurrent topics in Truffaut's work such as childhood, education. The whole may not reach the peak of "les 400 coups" but it is after all a decent work although opinion is a little divided about it. I think the movie is especially worth for Charlotte Gainsbourg, full of freshness. Her amazing performance is enough to justify the trip and the vision of the film. She epitomizes with a lot of conviction the role of this teenager searching for real love and a better life. More simply, she nearly carries the whole movie on her shoulders. But, don't neglect the other obvious qualities that Miller's movie contains: the quality of the screenplay, the subtlety of the making and a quite faithful reconstruction of the France after the Second World War.

    A light and nice movie. Truffaut would probably have approved the result.
    helpful•19
    4
    • dbdumonteil
    • Aug 7, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 1989 (United States)
      • France
      • French
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Barneville-Carteret, Manche, France
    • Production companies
      • Orly Films
      • Orly Films
      • Renn Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 49 minutes
      • Mono

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